New 'deficits' at Laois nursing home in Portlaoise despite investment

Substantial investment in a Portlaoise nursing home led to improved compliance with regulations, but new shortcomings have emerged in the care of residents, according to the health service watchdog HIQA.

The Kilminchy Lodge Nursing Home is owned by Emeis Ireland, which also runs The Residence Portlaoise - the nursing home at the centre of the RTÉ Investigates programme which exposed extensive shortcomings in the care of elderly residents.

Located off the Dublin Road in Portlaoise, Kilminchy has a capacity for 74 residents. It was previously owned by the Brindley Healthcare Limited, which was acquired by the French-owned Orpea Care Ireland Limited. Orpea was subsequently rebranded as Emeis.

The exposé resulted in a review of all Emeis Ireland nursing homes by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA). This review has resulted in admissions being suspended to all Emeis Ireland homes.

It said Kilminchy Lodge Nursing Home has been inspected four times since January 2022, culminating in the most recent unannounced inspection in May 2025. The regulator does not discuss older inspections at the home which opened during the Celtic Tiger era.

The review report, published on July 2, shows that the Kilminchy Lodge was non-compliant with regulations in two areas in May. The category of non-compliance is not revealed. HIQA's report shows the home has never been found to be fully compliant with regulations since January 2022.

Between 01 January 2022 and 18 June 2025, the HIQA Chief Inspector has received ten pieces of unsolicited information in relation to Kilminchy Lodge Nursing Home.

The report also published monitoring notifications received about Kilminchy Lodge from 1 January 2022 to 18 June 2025. There were 40 allegations or confirmed of abuse to a resident during this time notified by the home to HIQA. There three absences of residents. 

"Kilminchy Lodge Nursing Home Limited has at times struggled to achieve and sustain regulatory compliance.

"Many identified issues were related to the physical premises and aligned institutional practices. Following an extensive programme of construction and renovation, many contributing factors were addressed is with Kilminchy Lodge Nursing Home Limited achieving improved compliance.

"That said, findings from recent inspections identified deficits in the assessment of residents' needs and care planning for those needs.

"Following inspections in 2023 and 2024, assurances were received from the registered provider through the submission of compliance plans. An unannounced inspection was carried out in May 2025 with a report of this inspection in preparation," said HIQA.

Built during the early Celtic Tiger years, the home was sold in 2018 as part of big expansion funded by a €25 million backing from Ulster Bank. When purchased it the Lodge had 44 single and four twin rooms, employing 77 staff. The parent company Brindley Healthcare was subsequently sold to Orpea / Emeis in 2021.

The home was the setting of a fatal Covid-19 outbreak in 2020 when three residents died.